


Endless Dream

by Natsumiya_Teirin



Category: End Roll (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Guardian! Kantera, Mikkoku is Informant - Freeform, Platonic Relationships, SUBJECT TO CHANGE, Yumi dies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-16 23:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12352416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natsumiya_Teirin/pseuds/Natsumiya_Teirin
Summary: In a world where even constant events lead to deviations from the norm, Russell Seager was never a murderer. His parents saw retribution, and he ended up living with Kantera. This inevitably leads to a whole new chain of events...





	1. Homecoming

_There are countless universes, you know, all coexisting peacefully with one another. Of course, they all continue to deviate slightly from whichever universes lie beside them, and yet, there are just some things that are always constant._

_The sky is always blue._

_Summer is always warmer than winter._

_Russell Seager is always abused by his parents._

_In one universe, this abuse created a murderer who ultimately murdered himself._

_In another, this same murderer went insane._

_In yet another, the pitiful murderer chose to stay in his dreams._

_And in another universe still, that unfeeling murderer was never created._

* * *

     The pavement as he fell back onto it hurt against the bruises from his father's belt on his back, but Russell didn't give that man the satisfaction of seeing him so much as flinch. 

No, instead, he scrambled back up to his feet and started running, trying to block the images of the police chief's bloody corpse out of his head. 

Officer Yumi was the only one who could’ve helped him, but now...

Now she was bleeding out near the couch in the living room. 

Her soft blonde hair was dark with blood...

Russell didn’t need to look back to know his father was chasing him, trying to keep him from telling the police of his heinous crimes. 

"You're pathetic! To hurt your own child like this- this ain't right!" BANG. 

There was a bang sound, much too close for comfort, and pain blossomed in his right shoulder blade. Another bang sent him crashing down onto the street, scraping his knee to add to the bullet that'd lodged itself into the back of his calf. 

Russell started crawling, zig-zagging as best he could so his father wouldn’t get a chance to aim for his head. 

She wasn't even able to call for backup as her body hit the floor, her head bouncing off the coffee table. 

"DR. KANTERAAAAA!" He called out desperately. Surely the shop was as slow as ever, and the kind doctor would come to his aid! 

There was another bang, and a bullet just grazed his shoulder.

He didn’t have much time left. 

“DR. KANTERAAA! QUICK- HELP!" 

He'd never been so loud and panicked before, and his throat stung a little from the exertion. But in that moment, as Dr. Kantera rushed out and tackled his father in a display of strength he was greatly unused to seeing, Russell had never felt so at peace.

* * *

     In the time between his father's arrest and trial, it was also revealed that Russell's mother was a neglectful drug addict, even though she'd never physically harmed her son, and she was arrested for possession of illegal substances. So, unable to stay with her for that reason, Russell ended up staying with Dr. Kantera.

     This wasn't too terribly new to either of them, as Russell had stayed overnight a few times in the past while Kantera treated what he could with his herbal remedies. However, Russell had never stayed longer than one night at a time before now, and even though the doctor had so generously offered, the boy was sure he'd tire of him soon. 

     And maybe Kantera knew this, or else he just knew how anxious Russell could get, but the man never bothered him about it, and treated him with the same sleepy, patient, kind air as always. It made Russell feel better about the situation, somewhat. 

     Kantera didn’t ask anything of him- just told Russell to go and do what he normally did when he was away from home. As long as he returned for dinner and an extremely light check-up, that was enough. 

     Of course, Russell would have preferred to repay him by...well, primarily by not burdening him further every night, or else by helping him take care of the shop during the day. However, Kantera had more or less asked him to stay, and Russell didn’t have the necessary knowledge to be of much use- and like hell was he going to ask Kantera to teach him when the man had a shop to run. So he went to school in the day and hung out with either Chris afterwards, and returned to the clinic before dinner.

And for a time, everything was peaceful...


	2. Chapter 2

     Russell was woken up by familiar hands shaking him, and frantic brown eyes that looked almost red.

     "Russell- thank goodness you're awake now. We must get going- quickly, up now- I'm afraid we haven’t the time to pack properly, but we must leave!"

  
     The boy barely understood what he was saying- barely processed it- but didn’t fight as Kantera all but dragged him out the back door of the clinic. The kind doctor tucked him into his beaten truck- affectionately named Deliveryuu on account of its age- and drove away. It was only as they turned around the corner of a building and onto the main street that Russell, now more awake, noticed the cop cars headed in the direction of the clinic.

     He wondered whether it would be okay to ask, but Kantera seemed to sense his confusion and answered his unspoken question. 

     "Listen carefully to my words, Russell. I've told you about my grandfather, have I not?"

     He waited for Russell to nod before continuing, "I thought as much. Now, you should know he and I have been involved in a...questionable incident in the past, before I came here. Recently, an old acquaintance of mine has passed away, and it is only thanks to a good friend that I know it was a suicide. However, this acquaintance set things up in a certain way so as to make it appear as if I'd killed him."

     Russell almost asked why Kantera was apparently on the run if he knew he was being framed, but he gave him a look that asked him to wait. 

     "If the police were to get a hold of me now, I would most likely be incarcerated, and if, perhaps, I had the means to prove my innocence in this, I would still be locked up on account of my past crimes. Of course, this would leave you to your lonesome, and I won't allow that. Not for you, Russell. Do you understand?" 

     Again, Russell nodded, and then cautiously asked, "where will we go from here?" 

     Kantera hummed for a minute. "I'm not quite certain yet. Perhaps we shall just drift about on these roads like the wind, breezing from one town to the next." 

     Surprisingly, even to himself, Russell found that idea strangely agreeable. Maybe not the most preferable option, but certainly not the least. 

     So he closed his eyes and let the silence and the swaying of the old truck lull him back to sleep. 

* * *

     The next few days- or they could’ve been weeks- blurred together in a monotonous loop. They slept inside Deliveryuu instead of a hotel- partially because that would get expensive but also because hotel logbooks made it easier to track people- and subsisted on dubiously healthy snack foods.

     They only ever stopped for bathroom breaks, or else to restock their snack supply, but other than that, Kantera would spend most of the day driving. Russell offered to take over once, but was forced to relent as the doctor pointed out that he'd be in trouble with the law, too, for underage driving, and without an ID. 

     So, Kantera would drive, stopping occasionally for a quick nap, and Russell kept himself occupied with a handheld game the doctor had stashed in the back for some reason, and when that inevitably died, he'd take a nap, himself. 

     They travelled for what felt like a few months before they stumbled across a tiny rural town. The population board read '12', and the town itself was so small, it hadn’t shown up on the map when Kantera checked. 

The town, according to the welcome sign, was called "Nameless Town". 


	3. The Start Of a Friendship

Nameless Town seemed like a peaceful sort of place, and it wasn't even on the map. With a population of only twelve, it was unlikely anyone would recognize Kantera.   
It seemed like the perfect place to wait things out. 

Kantera parked Deliveryuu outside what looked like a small restaurant. He shut it off then climbed out the driver's side, waiting for Russell to follow suit before locking it up. Then, the pair entered the restaurant. 

It was rather spacious inside, contrary to its deceptively small exterior. 

The floor was tiled in a chessboard pattern. There were five tables, each with four seats, and a small sectioned off area that looked like a kind of living room. 

At the counter, which had been painted an obnoxiously bright yellow, was a girl with silver hair. She looked to be staring off into space a moment ago, but had apparently perked up as the door opened. 

"Hi there! Welcome to Reitmann's Garden, what can we make for you today?" 

Kantera smiled easily and waved a hand.

"Apologies, however, we don't intend to order, though we thank you for the offer. Could you perhaps direct us to the office of the mayor, or whoever is governing this town?" 

"Sure I can! Actually, I'll walk with you! It's not very far!" She poked her head through a door.

"Papa! I'm going out for a bit- I'll be back soon!" 

Russell didn’t hear what the girl's father said, but assumed it was affirmative as she practically skipped out from behind the counter. 

Her dress was the same annoyingly bright yellowas the counter. Oh God. 

She led them out, and somehow Russell found himself walking beside her while Kantera followed behind them at a more leisurely pace. 

She turned to look at him. 

"Soo, what's your name? I'm Gardenia Reitmann!"   
Russell took a moment to answer. He didn’t want to use his old surname, since that implied relation to _those people_ , but he didn’t know Kantera's surname, and it would look weird if he asked now. 

"...Russell," he said finally. 

"Just Russell?" Gardenia asked him. Her voice wasn’t intrusive- just curious. He nodded. 

"Okay! Hey, come to think of it, you look like you're about my age! How old are you, Russell?" 

"...fourteen."

"Then that means we're the same age! There's only one other kid our age in this whooole town, but I don't think he likes me very much...Russell, will you be my friend?" 

In the few minutes they'd been talking, a large house came into view.

"...Yeah," Russell said after a second, "let's be friends." 

* * *

"Heeerree we are! Mayor Saxon is kinda old, but he's pretty nice! Once you've been here awhile, you won't even need to knock to come in- that's how close we all are!- but for now, it'd be good to wait for Mireille to let you in!" Gardenia turned around and waved at Russell over her shoulder. "See ya later, Russell!" 

Russell watched for a moment as Gardenia skipped back home. It really wasn’t far at all. 

Kantera knocked on the door to the house. 

There was the faint sound of hurried footsteps from the other side of the door. 

"J-just a moment!" A feminine voice called. 

Half a moment later, the door opened to reveal a strawberry blonde woman in a maid's uniform. 

"Do you two need to see the master?" She asked, her voice shaky and nervous. 

"Yes, if he is unoccupied at the moment," Kantera answered with a light bow. 

"N-not at all, sirs- please, come inside!" 

She stepped back and made room for them to enter. Kantera took off his slippers and set them neatly by the door. Russell followed suit with his own loafers. 

Mireille led them to a simple wooden door and knocked twice on it.

"Master? You have guests!" She called.

"Guests? By all means, come inside, if you would!" A noticeably older male voice called from the other side. Mireille held the door open and allowed Kantera and Russell to step through before returning to the hall. The door closed with a gentle click. 

Mayor Saxon was a relatively large man with salt and pepper hair and a neat blue suit. He turned to face his new guests and Russell noted his eyes were a vibrant green. 

"Ahh? It's rare for foreigners to come here. How may I be of service?" 

Kantera smiled pleasantly and bowed again.   
"I and my ward wish to acquire a permanent residence in this peaceful town." Saxon hummed for a minute before he snapped his fingers. 

"Thankfully, there is still a house here on the market- as well as an empty shop if you wish to use it. The previous tenants were from Darcover, just to the northwest of here, but they've recently moved back to their hometown. They even left most of their furniture behind. Odd, that is."

Kantera nodded his head sagely. "Quite. However, this could prove fortuitous." 

Now it was Saxon's turn to nod his head.

"Indeed. In any case, the census board has yet to be updated, so if you'd like it, you would be more than welcome to move into this house free of charge." 

"Splendid," Kantera's smile grew friendlier.

"And...what of payments for utilities? I'm afraid I have no money to offer, you understand."  
"You needn't worry about that. In this town, and in our neighboring towns, we discourage the use of typical currencies. Instead, we use walnuts, as they are common and have many different uses. Furthermore, we don't ask that people pay for things like water and electricity, since these are basic needs in any household." 

Russell frowned, confused, but Kantera accepted it easily. "Clever indeed, sir, to obtain so much from your resources." 

Saxon smiled. "Thank you for the compliment. Now then, shall I ask Mireille to escort you to the house in question?" 

"'Tis no trouble for us, good mayor. We shall find it ourselves." 

"Very well. We don't hold judgement in Nameless Town, so if you require assistance, don't hesitate to ask around." 

"Thank you kindly for the advice. I expect we shall cross paths again." 

With a nod of agreement, Russell followed Kantera out of the mayor's office and outside the house. 

There were eleven buildings in Nameless Town, and two of those were unoccupied. Surely they wouldn't be that hard to find, right? 


	4. Mid-season Picnic

The house they were to move into was a small single-story building with an attic and a basement. It was nestled snugly between two other buildings, a small museum on the right and some other building that might've been some sort of train station. 

From the outside, it looked small, but also very clean, with the walls painted white and the door a pale blue. 

Inside, however, it was dusty, and even with the sheet-covered furniture, it seemed large and empty. 

Bathed in the light spilling from the doorway, Kantera looked down at Russell. 

"I suppose we'd best begin cleaning, yes?" 

Russell nodded his agreement, and the two of them set to work.

* * *

It didn’t take quite as long as either of them thought it would- though that isn’t to say it took less than a few hours. The furniture was in good condition, and the appliances in the back were still usable- apparently the power and water supplies hadn’t been cut off yet, or else that house in particular was connected to systems outside of the the city lines. 

Really all there was to worry about was dusting and sweeping- basic household cleaning. And shopping for whatever hadn’t been left for their convenience- especially clothes and dishes- but...baby steps. 

When Gardenia entered through the open doorway, she saw Russell pulling out the couch cushions- along with the cobwebs clinging to them- and Kantera wiping down the kitchen counter with a rag that might’ve been white a few centuries ago. 

"Hiii Russell!" 

The blond jumped out of his skin and whirled towards the door with both hands pressed over his chest. Kantera chuckled, and Gardenia had the feeling he saw her already, but chose not to greet her in favor of scaring the bejeegus out of Russell. 

"Greetings,   
Gardenia. What brings you here this fine day?" 

The albino grinned. 

"Me and Tabasa brought snacks!" 

She gestured to the man standing a ways behind her with a plate in his hands, and Russell berated himself for not having seen him before. He was about average height, dressed in a forest green hoodie, with a strange ornament dangling in front of his left ear that reminded Russell of something an ancient tribesman might wear. 

Tabasa nodded his head as he shuffled into the house.

"Mr. Reitmann heard from Saxon that the two of you'd be fixing this place up, so he asked us to bring you some refreshments. Gardenia helped make them." 

"If that’s the case, then I'm sure they'll be delicious. Thank you both very much- Russell and I greatly appreciate the effort."

Kantera set the rag down as he spoke, then went to join Russell by the couch. 

"Perhaps we should take this outside, yes? We lack a suitable table as of yet..." he nodded to the coffee table which still bore a layer of dust. 

"Yeah! It'll be like a picnic!" Gardenia exclaimed. "Let's do it!" 

She tugged at Tabasa's waist and with a sigh, he led them outside as Kantera chuckled. 

There were less clouds than there were when they first arrived, so the sun could shine down on them unimpeded. They didn’t have anything to sit on, but none of them really minded sitting on the grass. Tabasa set the plate down in the middle of their tiny circle, and Gardenia was the first to grab a sandwich off of it. 

"Papa's coming soon with lemonade. It took a little longer cause he's making it special." 

Russell nodded, acknowledging, then grabbed a sandwich for himself. 

Tabasa looked at Kantera with a laid back smile. 

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Ah, tis just for a change of scenery," Kantera answered easily, "Life in the big city is so quick and busy, you see." 

Tabasa nodded sagely.

"Yeah. I get it. I never really liked the city, either. This small place suits me just fine- and everyone here is very kind," he said, listening to the sounds of nature.

"You'll have nothing to worry about."

 


End file.
